It was a sunny day in September 2007 when Garrett Pohlman, then seven years old, came home from school. Crying, he warned his mother that radiation was coming out of the house’s electrical sockets....
Results: The combined study population consisted of 95,498 individuals. The majority were non-Hispanic Caucasian (85%), 48% were female and the mean age was 7.1 (SD 3.1) years. Of 357 potential cases, there were 13 actual cases [mean age was 6.0 (SD 1.8) years, 46% female and 100% non-Hispanic Caucasian]. The estimated annual incidence of PANDAS/PANS was 1/11,765 for children between 3 and 12 years with some variation between different geographic areas.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that PANDAS/PANS is a rare disorder with substantial heterogeneity across geography and time. A prospective investigation of the same question is warranted.
A Vreeland; D Calaprice; N Or-Geva; RE. Frye; D Agalliu; HM. Lachman; C Pittenger; S Pallanti; K Williams; M Ma; M Thienemann; A Gagliano; E Mellins; J Frankovich https://doi.org/10.1159/000534261
In this review article, we outline the accumulating evidence supporting the role neuroinflammation plays in these disorders. We describe work with animal models including patient-derived anti-neuronal autoantibodies, and we outline imaging studies that show alterations in the basal ganglia. In addition, we present research on metabolites, which are helpful in deciphering functional phenotypes, and on the implication of sleep in these disorders. Finally, we encourage future researchers to collaborate across medical specialties (e.g., pediatrics, psychiatry, rheumatology, immunology, and infectious disease)in order to further research on clinical syndromes presenting with neuropsychiatric manifestations.
Speaker: Scott Antoine, DO, FACEP, ABOIM, IFMCP Webinar: Toxins and the Immune System in PANS & PANDAS The recording will be available in a couple of weeks. About this Webinar...
N Ringer, C Benjaminson, H Bejnö, Living with Paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) – a qualitative study of Children’s experiences in Sweden. Cogent Psychology (2023), 10: 2259745 DOI:10.1080/23311908.2023.2259745
The study aimed to understand the experience of living with PANS from the perspective of children with the diagnosis.
Although this disease is primarily thought to be a disease of childhood, it is reported to occur also in adults. PANDAS is a well-defined clinical entity, but the neuropathology of this condition has not been established yet. We describe the clinical course of a 26-year-old female diagnosed with PANDAS. She committed suicide and her brain was biobanked for further studies. We examined the banked tissue and performed special stains, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence analyses to characterize the neuropathology of this condition. Histology of the temporal lobes, hippocampus, and basal ganglia shows mild gliosis and Alzheimer’s type II astrocytes. Acute hypoxic ischemic changes were noted in hippocampus CA1 and CA2 areas. Immunostaining shows increased parenchymal/perivascular GFAP staining and many vessels with mild increases in CD3-, CD4-, and CD25-stained lymphocytes in the basal ganglia. The findings suggest that CD4- and CD25-positive T cells might have an important role in understanding the neuroinflammation and pathogenesis of this condition. The case represents the first neuropathological evaluation report for PANDAS.
Sydenhams Chorea is the prototype disorder for PANDAS. If you or your child has chorea movements, it is important to get a correct diagnosis. One may have an easier...
These results support COVID-19 vaccination for most individuals with PANS/PANDAS given that the frequencies of symptom flares and setbacks after COVID-19 infection were significantly higher than after the COVID-19 vaccine. Nonetheless, further studies are needed to fully assess the risk-benefit balance and to provide a more individualized approach to disease prevention in people with immune vulnerabilities.